Microorganisms Associated with Shelled Corn Stored in Above and Below Ground Storage Facilities

Underground storage of grain and dry edible beans is a management technique that has developed independently on every continent in the world. Several ancient cultures, including those that developed in what is now the U.S., used underground storage (Ambler, 1977). As long ago as 1000 B.C., some cultures used underground storage as their principal means of strategic national storage (Dunkel, 1985; Sterling et al., 1983). Both modern and ancient reports have claimed that insect infestation, fungal growth and taste acceptability are well-controlled in underground structures; some grains could be stored well for 10–12 years in such structures.